Trust me, I'm as unhappy about this as you are, but I'm weak, oh, so weak …
Wedged between next weekend's NFL conference championship games and Super Bowl 56 will be NASCAR's unofficial start to the 2022 season with the Busch Light Clash (Feb. 6 at 6 p.m. ET, FOX) that will take place at the LA Coliseum.
This is an exhibition event, meaning no points are on the line, and NASCAR is leveraging that by racing on a very unique track and with a format that is unconventional.
From the track's perspective, the surface will be a quarter-mile flat oval built inside of the LA coliseum, which will be the smallest track that drivers race on all season.
And in terms of the format, the Busch Light Clash will employ heat races to set the 23-car main event field (click here for the full format details).
Like I said, unique.
In the sports betting world "unique" can also mean "difficult to handicap" because we, as bettors, like data to fall back on when risking our money and the Busch Light Clash, well, has none.
Because of this, I had (and probably still have) very little motivation to get overly heavy on this event because it will likely be extremely random.
However, after perusing down the latest Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum odds board, one longshot jumped out as a bet worth a few shekels at the very insane price of 500-1.
NASCAR Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum Pick
*Odds as of Jan. 20
At 500-1 odds (currently available at DraftKings Sportsbook), I couldn't help but get down on Ryan Preece to win the Busch Light Clash.
Again, because of the newness and randomness of this event, it's hard to feel really good about any bet, but at this crazy longshot price, I convinced myself to bet Preece for the following three reasons:
1. Experience on "Similar" Tracks
There is nothing similar to this circuit on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule, but Preece's background is running short, flat tracks in modifieds and doing it very well.
2. Equipment
Preece signed with Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) during the offseason to serve as the team's reserve driver for 2022, meaning he'll step in in the event that a full-time driver cannot start a race.
As part of the deal, Preece will also run a handful of races across NASCAR's top three series, including the Busch Light Clash for Rick Ware Racing.
Because Preece is a reserve driver for SHR, one of the Cup Series' top teams in terms of resources and equipment, and that Rick Ware Racing has a technical alliance with SHR, this car might have expanded support and be more competitive than expected.
3. Randomness
Let's face it — this race is going to be unpredictable! Throwing 23 cars on a quarter-mile track that none of these drivers have ever seen and where winning is the only thing that matters could get absolutely crazy.
Is it out of the picture that wrecks pave the wave for a surprise winner? Absolutely not.
Preece actually coming through and winning the Busch Light Clash is clearly a longshot, but for the reasons above it's possible enough to warrant a shot at 500-1 odds — a number I expect to be long gone come race day.
